Exclusive: Chipmunk: 'On Air, On Sale is f***ed up'

Chipmunk has revealed that he thinks releasing singles as they premiere is "f**ked up".

The rapper, who is gearing up for the release of his sophomore album Transition, said that the sales strategy - titled On Air, On Sale - only favors internationally successful artists and works against rising talent.

In an interview with Digital Spy, he confessed: "I think it's cool, but it means it takes a song even longer to build up. I've heard that they're going to stop doing that now because it's not working.

"It's also unfair on new acts because they don't have the advantage of radio play, meaning they'll end up climbing backwards - it's f**ked up! The label have done it for my current single, but the video has only just come out now, which will hopefully have some impact on its chart position."

Asked if he thought it will reduce the amount of illegal downloading, he admitted: "It's stupid, you can't stop someone illegally downloading a song no matter how quickly it goes on sale. The labels should be targeting the illegal downloaders, not hindering the artists.

"That said, sometimes it's a blessing in disguise. 'Champion' still did well and I think it's because more people got to hear the song - it's like a form of promotion."